Orlando awaits what could become the major Christmas cold snap on the 22nd, when thermometers dip to their lowest for the date in several decades.
Along with the warming of the rest of the planet, Orlando’s winters, especially since 2010, have turned up the thermostat, making cold, freezing weather increasingly a thing of the past. The city has not experienced a freeze since January 18, 2018.
“Having a cold snap and freezing weather can be beneficial,” said Florida state climatologist David Zierdan, for killing off plant pests, eliminating mosquitoes and pushing invasive species like snakes and alien lizards back to their Southern strongholds of Florida. .
But a snow-white Christmas in Orlando, forget it, says the National Weather Service. It never happened, according to documents dating back to the late 19th century.
Orlando’s expected Christmas maximum is 50, which would match that of 1989.
Orlando’s projected Christmas low is 31, which would be much warmer than it was in 1989, 27 degrees. Interestingly, there has never been a low of 31 on Christmas Day.
Yep, this will be the coldest Christmas since the 1980s, when temperatures in 1983 and 1989 were truly wintry by Sunshine State standards.
The five lowest Christmas temperatures recorded in Orlando since 1892 are: 21 in 1983, 25 in 1906, 27 in 1989, 30 in 1929, and 32 in 1995.
The five lowest maximum temperatures recorded on Christmas Day are: 36 in 1983, 49 in 1961, 50 in 1989, 51 in 1906 and 52 in 1930.
The cold snap of 1989 was unbelievable, driving freezing rain south to Gainesville, snow all the way to Lakeland, and turning Interstate 10 into a destructive rush.
Speaking of Christmas cold snaps in other parts of the state, data provided by the Florida Climate Center at Florida State University shows a wide range.
The recorded low and expected low for Christmas Day are: 11 degrees in 1983 and 28 degrees expected this Christmas in Pensacola; 14 in 1983 and 24 planned in Tallahassee; 11 in 1983 and 28 in Jacksonville; 19 in 1989 and 26 in Gainesville; 20 in 1983 and 35 in Tampa; 30 in 1989 and 52 in Miami; and 46 in 1989 and 58 in Key West.
It could be freezing in Orlando early morning on Christmas Eve, when the forecast is a low 32 degrees. But, if it didn’t, and it froze on Christmas morning, that would end a streak of 1,801 days without a temperature of 32 or lower. in the city.
The longest frost-free streak on record was 1,804 days from 2003 to 2008.
A National Weather Service meteorologist for central Florida, Brendan Schaper, said a powerful low-pressure system will suck a mass of cold air from Canada into Florida, bringing a bitter cold to Christmas.
The rapidly intensifying low-pressure system, what forecasters call a bomb cyclone, will leave much of the nation in freezing and even sub-zero weather.
The Weather Service has published cold-weather tips: Check vulnerable friends and neighbors, make sure pets have a warm place with food and water, bring in or cover sensitive plants, and cover exposed pipes.
“It may not be snow for us, but it’s definitely going to feel like it,” said Schaper.
This story was published in the Orlando Sentinel by journalist Kevin Spear and translated by journalist José Javier Pérez.
